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August 30, 2007
Reporting For Duty
Hello from the ends of the earth! Been wondering 'bout old WonderGirl? Well, I can't tell you where I've been, because then I'd have to kill you, but I will say that once again, all is well in Metropolis. Oh, you didn't even know the world was in danger? Good. That means I'm upholding the secret superhero code. Yay me! I think I'll ask for a raise. I'm really overdue.
So, seriously? I needed a break. Had some things to take care of, and they required my full attention. You know how that goes, yeah? Sometimes you have to let everything else drop and make sure you're taking care of what's important. I needed time to count clouds, count blessings, count the days. But I'm back now, all is well, and I'm ready to take my place in the world.
So, what have you guys been up to? Any monkey business I should know about in my absence?
I'll do the quick update from my end: King Pen and I are headed up to Chattanooga this weekend, and going whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River. Whoo! It was supposed to be a surprise for him, but I am TERRIBLE at that. I completely spilled the beans. Anyway, it should be loads of fun! I am starting school with Czarina and HeroBoy on Tuesday. Still making slings, but haven't started selling yet, and I baked totally homemade bread the other day. Reading Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor, Chipmunk is crawling and sitting up alone, and now sharing a room with big sis. It's hot here, ready for Fall, planning some trips back home in September, and thankful, oh so thankful for all the good things God has brought into my life.
A little scattered, but that's the jist of it.
I'm happy to be back, guys. Thanks for popping back in on me to see if I'd made it home okay. I'm here, and ready for livin'. I predict lots of good blogging to come, because I'm recharged and refocused! Good stuff ahead.
Posted by WonderGirl at 2:05 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
August 19, 2007
Hiatus
Taking a few days off, guys... blog on without me!
Posted by WonderGirl at 9:17 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
August 17, 2007
An Ending
Autumn leaves littered the ground, scattering as I ran through the woods. Tears stung my eyes, drying tight on my cheeks as if I'd been standing in front of a fire too long. Branches whipped at my face and arms, leaving angry red welts on my skin, and I welcomed the needling pain. My shoulder ached and I knew the wound had opened again. I didn't care. I ran hard, punishing my lungs, wanting them to feel as strained and constricted as my heart.
Wordless anguish raged inside my head. I came to a clearing, stumbled over a root, and fell to my knees. The grief I'd been running from caught me, wrapped itself around me like a vice and squeezed until I couldn't breathe. I laid sobbing under the skeletal trees, their bare arms black against the gray sky. I curled my knees into my chest, and let the pain come, embracing the weight of my loss. I waited for it to crush me, to sweep me away from this world of barely living. I touched the bandage on my shoulder, and stared at the blood on my fingers, remembering.
Let her go.
The cold metal of the gun was pressed into my temple, the icy kiss of death on my skin. It had happened so fast, this leap from normal life into nightmare. Danishes, I'd craved cherry danishes for breakfast from the bakery down the street. He loved Saturdays, perfect for lazy strolls, for matinees, for love in the afternoon, for pastries in the mornings. We walked hand in hand, happy, too happy for the world. Past the dry cleaners, past the newspaper stand at the corner, each step closer to that moment. A woman handing out flyers, a man walking a yapping dog, two boys on skateboards, and then pandemonium. Popping, like fireworks and confusion and a scream...my scream? I was jerked up by the arm, and pulled away from Dustin. I fought, but the click of a gun stopped me cold.
"Let her go," Dustin yelled at the man.
Those were it, the last words. The gun tilted, and exploded beside my ear, and the world stopped. I stared at a still photograph of the horror, saw the surprise on his face, the red blossoming on his chest, saw the realization in his eyes. Reality crashed back in, and what was frozen became chaos again. Dustin fell. I wrenched away from the man, running forward, when I felt a sudden burning in my shoulder. I never heard the crack of the gun, my ears still ringing with the first shot, but I knew. I didn't even care, all I could think of was getting to Dustin. Then I was holding him, his blood spilling out with mine. I screamed for help, cradling his face in my hands, willing him to stay, demanding that he not leave me.
But I saw it coming, Death crept up. I fought him, pushed him away with everything I had. But Dustin's gaze grew unfocused, and Death snatched the light from his eyes. I clutched him to me, in a pool of blood and grief and senseless tragedy.
The lonely call of a bird broke my reverie, brought me back from the horror of that day, and into the present agony. I lay in this desolate place, far from the sympathy, the condolences that I couldn't bear to hear. Another gun, this one mine, heavy in my hand, and the click of the hammer caused my heart to lurch. I sobbed, holding the barrel against my temple, and begged Death to walk this way again, to release me from this world of guilt and emptiness. I could see him, that familiar blackness, see that Death crept in once more and all I had to do was squeeze to bring him closer. So easy, so much better than remembering oceans of soft sheets, or riding in the car with the windows down, or the way Dustin's hair felt threaded through my fingers. I closed my eyes, my hand shaking.
But my fingers wouldn't. I cried, I wanted them to, but they wouldn't.
Let her go. Dustin's voice chased Death away. I dropped the gun, gasping for air, quaking at his words echoing in my ear. I won't, Dustin. I'm sorry, I won't, I promise.
I layed there, alone but learning the feel of it, learning that alone still meant alive. I left the gun, under dead leaves and a gray sky. I left to find my way out of the woods, out of my loss, all on my own.
Posted by WonderGirl at 10:15 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
August 16, 2007
GLAYVEN!
I did. And don't I look fabulous?
Posted by WonderGirl at 11:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
I Was Up Till Midnight With Harry Potter
---I feel sorta weird for that title.---
Anyway, it's done. Finished it.
and....SPOILER
Continue reading "I Was Up Till Midnight With Harry Potter"
Posted by WonderGirl at 4:04 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 15, 2007
Blow
Oh, nirvana. I'm saving my birthday candles for this wish. I mean, you only turn 32 once. I so wanna go.
Posted by WonderGirl at 2:12 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Wordelicious
"Scattered." It delights the tongue.
Another one... "sizzle". Dang, that's a good word!
Yours?
Posted by WonderGirl at 12:01 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Hook
One more then I'm done.
I just got spam from "daffy jitendra" with a subject "and then you look left". You don't know how intrigued I am. Spammers are geniuses. Of course, I know it's just an offer for Viagra or something, but still. They got my ticket.
I do wish I had a friend named Daffy. And I am just dying to know what's to the left of me.
Posted by WonderGirl at 10:04 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Randomables.
This is not me blogging. Because I have other stuff I have to do this morning. This is me... uh... organizing my thoughts for the day. Yeah.
Anyway. Wanted to share my latest internet obsession, Pandora. It's an internet radio station that you customize. You choose a song, and they will play similar songs to it. If you like it, you give it a thumbs up, and you get more of the same. If you don't like it, they hunt you up another one. It rocks. Quite literally.
So, I'm a hundred pages into Harry Potter... what a daunting book! With four kids, finishing a book of that size is a job. But it's not like I have a choice, I mean, it's Harry Potter. Gotta read it. So basically, I take several LONG baths a day, to get in all my reading time. (Shut up, you know you do it, too.) I have been covering my ears and eyes ever since it came out so that I wouldn't learn the ending before I'd read it ... so I'm glad to finally get my hands on a copy. Yay Dad! He's my book dealer. He hooks me up. The first book was free... but after that, he started charging me. Must be in the "Pusher Handbook". Anyway.
In other news, I am still carless. No, not careless. I take great care, as usual. Nope, carless, as in, sans wheels. Not that I was going to go anywhere, but I don't like my options taken away, ya know? Thank goodness we have two cars though. We'd be in a fix if King Pen couldn't get to work. Hopefully tomorrow it'll be ready and we can get back to a busy day of not getting out in this heat! Guh.
Onward.
Czarina is going to be seven in a month. She's starting to lose that squeeky kid voice, and getting her big girl voice. She makes small talk on the phone now, she carries a purse, and she tried to wear gogo boots with a pair of too-short shorts yesterday. Oh no you don't, I said, marching her back into her room to change. I blame the Bratz for that particular outfit. (Not that she's allowed to play with 'em.) She's killing me though, gettin' grown like this. It's going to break my heart. (She was happy to wear jeans with the boots, by the way. She wanted to wear boots like Dad. It was just funny to have to make her change.)
Chipmunk got two teeth, and had his first dinner last night. He was very serious about it, and licked his lips for about an hour afterwards. He loved it.
The Duke is halfway between baby and boy. He is snuggled up to me right now with his "bink" (the blanket) and sucking his thumb, but watching PowerRangers. -sigh- So big and little at the same time.
HeroBoy is totally geared up for school and asks everyday when we are going to start. (After Labor Day...forget this beginning of August business. That's crazy.)
Well, that's a synopsis of life over this way. More later, this spacebar issue is KILLING me... takes forever to type out an entry right now.
Posted by WonderGirl at 8:47 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 14, 2007
Just Salt-n-Peppa Me.
| You Are Eggs |
 You don't skimp on nutrition or quality. You're likely to take the time to make yourself a decent meal each morning. You're a great cook, even if you aren't a showy one. You can make a feast out of simple ingredients. The food you eat may be basic, but you prefer to think of it as classic. |
Posted by WonderGirl at 9:33 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Smarty Britches
Stolen from the Vibe himself.
| Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence |
 An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator. |
Posted by WonderGirl at 9:00 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 13, 2007
I Heart Car Expenses. And Sarcasm.
Goodbye, five hundred bucks. Hello, new radiator.
-sigh-
Posted by WonderGirl at 4:28 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Determination
Finish this sentence:
Today is the day I _____.
And let's do it. Seriously. No more procrastinating.
Posted by WonderGirl at 7:45 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
August 12, 2007
stuck
So,asyoucansee,thespacebarstoppedworkingonmylaptop.
Fooey.
Also,thenumbersix.
Ineedsix.
Ineedthespacebar.
-sigh-
Posted by WonderGirl at 10:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 11, 2007
--the running place--
the sky was gray above her, the certainty of rain heavy in the air.
Continue reading "--the running place--"
Posted by WonderGirl at 9:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Let The Wind Blow
On the cusp of life again, when little ones fill the lonely corners of the day. They come home tomorrow, after a longer vacation than I had intended. It will be good to fill my arms with them again. I needed the break, I did, I admit it. But I will be oh so glad to have them home again! We will enjoy the last days of summer by staying cool and lazy... school is close, routine will be a welcome change, and this heat makes the Fall a worthy pursuit.
So I am good and happy, but always more than that.
I am in the eye of a hurricane of emotions today. I don't know that I can explain it, except that winds blow from all directions and sometimes I wonder if that's just how life is.
That's all I got for you today, folks. Go stay cool. I suggest iced tea and shady hammocks, a la Lazy Smurf...
Posted by WonderGirl at 6:22 PM | TrackBack
August 9, 2007
"Look at you, you have a baby!...In a bar."
Oh my. I have signed my life away to this business, guys. I didn't realize that was part of the deal. I'm just ready to get this end of it DONE so I can get on with things!!
Despite the massive time consumption it is right now, I am SO STOKED. The website is rocking along quite nicely. I've got people who want to get involved if needed, people who want to help me market it, people who want to buy one, etc etc. It's exciting, but a little overwhelming at the same time.
Anyway.
That's a big part of my life right now, and it's taken up a lot of my spare time. Hopefully, it will all settle down soon and I can get back to some semblence of normalcy.
Today, I'm on my way to Atlanta to PAR-TAY. Okay, no. That's not true. I am on my way to the ATL, but I won't be throwing down. I'm going to pick up some furniture and Chipmunk is coming with me. Nothing says wild and crazy like hittin' the clubs with your 5 month old! We'll be staying with my sister and I'm going to take some pics of her as a model for my website.
And uh... yeah, I'm so going to Ikea while I'm there. You don't think I could pass that opportunity up, do ya? Jealous? You know you are.
Well, I have a boatload of stuff to do, so I should get to it. Have a happy Thursday everybody. Stay cool! (Literally. It's dangerously hot out there. Hydrate.)
Posted by WonderGirl at 9:59 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 8, 2007
Why No Blog, WG?
Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I'm still around, yo. I've just been busy, lazy, stressed, bored, overwhelmed, a little bit drunk, out of the country, washing my hair, or one of these other excuses:
Spending more time with my blender.
Waiting for my karma transplant.
Building a pig from a kit.
Detecting a disturbance in the Force.
Going through cherry cheesecake withdrawal.
Pending my patent.
Waiting for the grunion to run.
Converting my calendar from Julian to Gregorian.
Touring China with a wok band.
Reading a book called "Glue in Many Lands" that I just can't put down.
Helping a friend fold road maps.
Trying to be less popular.
Being traded to Cincinnati.
Observing National Apathy Week.
Rotating my crops.
So you see, I have been extremely occupied as of late, and well, there you have it. I'm sure you understand. And now, I have to...uh... go... over there.
(aw, poor readers. So mistreated. I'll be back, I promise. Just taking a wee sabbatical... don't go too far!)
Posted by WonderGirl at 9:19 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 6, 2007
Still Here
I'm still around guys, I've just been busy being busy and well, being lazy, too. More later! For now, I have a sick hubby to tend.
Posted by WonderGirl at 2:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 2, 2007
Random Introspection
Sometimes I think too much. And other times, I don't think enough.
Posted by WonderGirl at 6:20 AM | TrackBack
August 1, 2007
Listen to Diz
"There are fashions in reading, even in thinking. You don't have to follow them unless you want to. On the other hand, watch out! Don't stick too closely to your favorite subject. That would keep you from adventuring into other fields. It's silly to build a wall around your interests." Walt Disney
Posted by WonderGirl at 11:40 PM | TrackBack
Oh, That's Wrong and I Don't Even Know Why.
King Pen has a knack for finding and summing up the essence of things. He does it with jokes, impressions, drawings... he's really good at it. I'm not bragging on him, it's just true. They aren't always the most useful summations (sorry, Honey), but they are always funny. Or, creepy, as the case was the other day, when he purposefully came up with the worst name ever for a resturaunt.
Uncle Fingers.
Ew. I don't want a THING from that joint.
Posted by WonderGirl at 11:30 PM | TrackBack
You're Invited
Well, we're off to a rockin' start today. Yesterday's sprained ankle is indeed ugly. It's a little bigger than a tennis ball, which is something else considering my ankle is pretty scrawny to begin with. And sweet fancy moses, it hurts! I was really hoping I'd wake up this morning and it would be all better. I need it to be all better. -Sigh-
I was running around the track, and hit an uneven patch where the sidewalk intersects with the track, and I rolled right over my foot. I didn't fall, luckily, but I hit the ground nonetheless because of the pain. I sat there a few minutes, trying not to throw up! I was shocked! I finally collected myself enough to get back to the car, and very gingerly drove myself home, since it's my right foot I hurt.
Well, as it happened, our electricity was out because a transformer blew earlier in the day, and it was chaos coming home, and I forgot ALL about desperately needing some groceries for the next day. I elevated and iced my foot for the rest of the night, and poor King Pen had to do everything. I always feel terrible when that happens, because I know what a job it is handling all four of our precious angels. (!)
Anyway, so groceries were forgotten, until this morning, when the kids got up and we remembered there wasn't a poptart to be found, nor milk, nor juice, nor bread.
So, King Pen is late for work because he had to run to the store. I'm layed up on the couch, hurting and cranky. I took some tylenol, so that should kick in soon. But it's more about the inconvenience of it all. I need crutches, but I'll get along without them. Hopping on one foot isn't too bad because our apt. isn't huge. But I can't tote the baby. Czarina is going to have to do that for me. Erg. And the house is a wreck, and I had planned to wash laundry today because the kids are going with King Pen to his folks house tomorrow. I think I can get to most of it, at least the laundry, but it'll be tricky. And my sling biz will have to halt for a day or so, since this is my sewing foot. (Ha- that amuses me)
This is my upcoming (and extremely RARE) weekend to myself, to do various and sundry things, and it's looking pretty unfun at the moment.
But, before I send out formal invitations to my Pity Party, I am encouraged that it SHOULD start feeling better in a day or so, right? The healing time on a sprained ankle is pretty fast, from what I hear. Maybe no running for a week but if I can walk on it by the weekend, I'll be happy.
And, when you're laid up on the couch, at least there's nothing to do but work on the computer!! That ain't sounding so bad.
K, I'm off for a while to check my email and uh... yeah, just browse the net aimlessly.
More later!
Posted by WonderGirl at 9:13 AM | Comments (13) | TrackBack